Lifting the top, what's the best way

[lp142]

Looking for ideas on lifting the top, the boat is 19' Ft 1974 Grady White.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Lifting the top, what's the best way

if it is not glassed together, the worst part is freeing the stearn, and the floor of the bow , basically gentle prying, you can work alone or with a helper, and get it freed up all the way around, some pieces of 1x2 4" long can be inserted between the top and bottom as you work, then get the boat out of the covered area, get the neighborhood together for a cook out, but to eat they have to help you lift the top out of the boat. support it all the way around. i would say safely 6 or 7 people.
when you put it back together is suggest filling the drain hole in the engine splash well and installing drains on each side of the engine.

 

[JustMrWill]

Re: Lifting the top, what's the best way

Did you read my response to your other thread?

http://forums.iboats.com/bbBoard.cgi?a=viewthread;fid=26;gtid=1180641

Is it separated and you are just looking for ideas on the actual lifting?

From the pictures, I see you have a pulley over the back of the boat. I will do the same with the front....tie the ropes to the cleats and lift up. If you can get it high enought... you then might want to (using the frame you have the pulley on) put up a cross beam under the deck (int the front and the back) and just leave it up while you work on the hull. Or you can roll the trailer out from under it to make it easier to work on hull.

-JMW

 

[lp142]

Re: Lifting the top, what's the best way

I did see the other reply and those are the instructions I've followed, I have installed another pulley in the center, the top is now separated I just need to get it off, I do like the idea of a party, but it definetely was more than a 6 pack job to separate it.d

 

[JustMrWill]

Re: Lifting the top, what's the best way

Great!

So, there is nothing holding the top to the bottom except gravity? You were able to lift up the top all the way around?

You can start by lifting up a corner at the transom and carefully slide a 2x4 across just in front of the splash well so that it is sticking out on either side of the hull. Repeat for the center and the front of the deck. Now you can call your friends over (you'll need 5) and have them (and yourself) lift and walk the deck off.

I ended up doing it solo so I used tie-down straps attached to my overhead beam and then to each 2x4 (if you have 3 2x4s going across, you will need 6).... I lifted one corner, tighten strap...went to next corner, lift, tighten. Repeat until I had it up as high as I wanted it. Alot of work, but do-able. Good luck.

-JMW

ps. In this picture, you can see the 2x4 across the back of my boat...I used the cleats in the front to tie to...and a 2x in the back. My tie-downs weren't long enough to reach from my canopy to the boat..so I used some rope to tie from one cleat to the next then attached the tie-down to it.